| Welcome back to the Small Business Insider, the go-to resource for essential information that empowers and connects Florida’s local businesses and is made exclusively available to members of the Florida Chamber Small Business Council. |
|
| Join Us for Our Next Small Business Council Meeting on June 18th |
|
| On June 18th, the Small Business Council will hold its quarterly webinar to hear a recap on the 2026 special session(s) and give you a breakdown of the 2026 election. We will also hear from guest speaker Secretary Alex Kelly, Florida Department of Commerce, on Opportunity Zones 2.0, a key economic development tool that is intended to spur economic growth and prosperity at the local level. Be sure to register now for the next meeting on Tuesday, June 18th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. ET below. |
|
|
| March Small Business Council Meeting Takeaways |
|
On March 24, the Florida Chamber Small Business Council met virtually to hear from Representative Alex Rizo, who is also a small business owner and education consultant. Representative Rizo spoke on the importance of mathematics education, this year's AI bill which he was the House sponsor of, the ongoing property tax discussion, Florida's investment in higher education, and the business-friendly environment Florida has created.
The Council also received an important economic update from Sheridan Morby, Senior Research Economist for the Florida Chamber Foundation, and a review of the 2026 legislative session from Carolyn Johnson, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
If you missed the March meeting, you can catch the recorded session or access the presentation slides. |
|
| Florida's Regular Legislative Session in Review |
|
Florida’s Regular Legislative Session by the Numbers:
- 1,788 Bills and PCBs filed; approximately 185 general bills passed both chambers
- Florida Chamber of Commerce testified approximately 100 times on legislation impacting job creators
- Florida Chamber is analyzing approximately 4,000 regular session votes cast by lawmakers and will release its annual Legislative Report Card with our forthcoming How They Voted publication
- $1.4 billion difference in House and Senate budgets, requiring a special session before June 30
At the conclusion of the 2026 regular legislative session, Florida has maintained its economic momentum, marking another year of measured progress for job creators without any major steps backward in Florida’s competitiveness.
For a full review of what passed, what was defeated, and what remains unfinished business from the 2026 session, click here. |
|
| Toplines from Tallahassee |
|
Toplines from Tallahassee is your monthly briefing on key developments from the state capitol that may impact your business.
- Florida Chamber of Commerce Releases Florida 2030 Blueprint Halftime Report: Florida is at halftime in our Florida 2030 Blueprint 10-year strategic plan for the years 2020-2030. Launched in 2018 by the Florida Chamber Foundation, the Florida 2030 Blueprint set a clear goal: transform Florida into a top 10 global economy that attracts talent, fuels business opportunity, and creates prosperity for every Floridian. To view Florida’s progress, click here.
- Legislation to Clarify Statute of Limitations under the Florida Civil Rights Act Waiting to be Signed by the Governor: HB 1407, related to remedies of violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act, has passed the House and Senate, and the bill will be sent to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. This will help create clarity on the statute of limitations to file a complaint under the Florida Civil Rights Act to ensure the timely resolution of discrimination complaints to the benefit of both the employer and employee.
- Property Tax Special Session?: At the conclusion of the 2026 regular session, a property tax bill has not passed both chambers, however the House did pass a property tax proposal to eliminate the non-school portion of homestead property taxes. A gubernatorial priority, it is expected the legislature will reconvene the property tax discussion during a special session, however both chambers have yet to come to an agreement on what this would look like. The Florida Chamber continues to educate lawmakers on a potential tax shift absent a tax cut on non-homestead properties, including renters and businesses, or a reduction in local spending.
- Major Win Against an Attempt to Unwind the 2023 Lawsuit Abuse Reforms: The Florida Chamber successfully defeated attempts to rollback the historic 2023 lawsuit abuse reforms. The first bill, PCS for HB 1553 by Representative Robbie Brackett, shifts the burden of proof around “Transparency in Damages,” which allows juries to see the amount paid or generally accepted in certain cases for a medical procedure. The second bill, HB 1423 by Representative Michelle Salzman, undoes the component of the 2023 reforms around premises liability that addressed concerns from Florida’s affordable housing community around rising insurance costs due to litigation from claims largely outside their control. Both bills would have further deteriorated Florida’s lawsuit abuse climate and could have increased the cost of litigation on local businesses. Both bills were unable to make it to the House floor, securing a victory for the business community.
|
|
| 2026 Legislative Session Bill Tracker |
|
| SB 528/ HB 483 (Sen. Keith Truenow, Rep. Nan Cobb) – Manufacturing: Enhances Florida’s competitiveness in manufacturing by creating the Statewide Office of Manufacturing within the Department of Commerce, led by a Chief Manufacturing Officer, as recommended by the Florida Trade & Logistics 2030 Study, who is responsible for state manufacturing activities and strategy. |
|
| Both bills died in committee. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. |
|
| SB 548/ HB 1139 (Sen. Stan McClain, Rep. Richard Gentry) - Growth Management: Lowers costs on new development by preventing local governments from abusing the calculation of impact fees through establishing specific criteria that must exist to demonstrate “extraordinary circumstances” and justify increases. |
|
| Bill language was amended onto HB 1329, which passed both the House and Senate. PASSED. |
|
| SB 526/ HB 405 (Sen. Erin Grall, Rep. Griff Griffitts) - Commercial Construction Projects: Enhances predictability in the permitting process by establishing a statewide uniform permit application and reduces costs through a uniform fee reduction when private provider services are used. |
|
| Both bills died in Senate Rules Committee. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. |
|
| SB 122/ HB 103 (Sen. Keith Truenow, Rep. Adam Botana) - Local Business Taxes: Reduces taxes on local businesses and allows for the reinvestment of that capital into employees, communities or the business itself by eliminating the local business tax. |
|
| HB 103 passed the House and died in Senate messages. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. |
|
| SB 358/ HB 987 (Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Rep. Angela Nixon) - Division of Labor Standards: Opposed by the Florida Chamber, this bill negatively impacts Florida’s business-friendly climate by creating the Division of Labor standards, which establishes new layers of government bureaucracy that interfere in the employer-employee relationship. |
|
| Neither bill was heard in committee. DEFEATED. |
|
| SB 1096/ HB 1407 (Sen. Danny Burgess, Wyman Duggan) - Remedies for Violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act: Creates clarity on the statute of limitations for alleged violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act, benefiting both the employer and employee and ensuring claims are resolved in a timely manner. |
|
| HB 1407 passed the House and Senate and is now waiting to be signed by the Governor. PASSED. |
|
| SB 894/ HB 261 (Sen. Jonathan Martin, Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman) - Restrictions on Employer-owned Life Insurance Policies: Creates a new private cause of action and adds state regulations around employer-owned life insurance policies that are already regulated at the federal level. |
|
| Neither bill was heard in committee. DEFEATED. |
|
| SB 552 & SB 550/ HB 1277 & HB 1275 (Sen. Mack Bernard, Rep. Chip LaMarca) -Prohibition on Levying Ad Valorem Taxes on Tangible Personal Property: Prohibits local governments from levying ad valorem taxes on tangible personal property, providing annual savings on the taxation of office equipment, machinery, vehicles, livestock, and personal items for local businesses, money that they can invest back in their business, their employees, or in their local communities. |
|
| These bills were not heard in committee. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. |
|
| SB 766/ HB 629 (Sen. Jonathan Martin: Rep. Tiffany Esposito) - Regulation of Auxiliary Containers: Improves Florida's regulatory climate by strengthening a Florida Chamber-backed preemption preventing a patchwork of local ordinances on packaging materials used by food service or retail establishments. |
|
| Neither bill was heard in committee. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. |
|
| SB 250 (Sen. Corey Simon) - Rural Communities: While this omnibus bill provides economic development and funding opportunities for rural communities, regarding small businesses, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network is provided additional funding for certain events, providing consulting services, and leveraging partner organizations to assist small businesses. |
|
| SB 250 passed the Senate and died in House messages. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. |
|
The Federal Corner is intended to provide details of what is happening in Washington, D.C., that may impact your business. It’s important that if these federal provisions apply or potentially apply that you are aware so you can take advantage or take the proper steps accordingly.
On March 20, 2026, President Donald Trump unveiled a national AI legislative framework to help guide proposed legislation regarding AI. The framework includes giving parents the best tools to manage their children’s digital upbringing, ensuring AI development helps small businesses and American communities economically grow, preventing a shifting of costs on Americans to build data centers, protecting intellectual property rights and free speech allowing for AI’s use in more industry sectors, and developing an AI-ready workforce in the United States. The stated goal of this framework is to improve national security and economic competitiveness by winning the AI race. This framework also serves as a guide for uniformity across the United States that states can use when considering legislation in the AI space. The plan is to have this framework turned into legislation at the federal level that will be sent to the President. |
|
|
|
For more information on what is happening at the federal level on labor and other regulatory issues, click the link above. If you would like to engage in our federal legislative or regulatory advocacy efforts, please contact Florida Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs, Carolyn Johnson, at cjohnson@flchamber.com. |
|
New Data Shows Florida's Economy Holding Strong as Growth Stabilizes
|
|
The March 2026 edition of Florida By The Numbers is now available. Florida's economy continues to show strength, with the latest data pointing to a shift from rapid growth to a more stable, sustainable pace. Florida Chamber Foundation Senior Research Economist Sheridan Morby breaks down what the latest numbers mean for Florida's economy, and for business leaders across the state, as we work towards the Florida 2030 Blueprint primary target of growing Florida to a top 10 global economy.
This month's updates include:
- Population Growth Outlook:
- Florida remains a national leader for net migration, ranking among the top states for new residents.
- Continued population growth is fueling Florida's expanding economy.
- Recent moderations reflect a return to more sustainable, long-term growth trends.
- Labor Market Outlook:
- Florida's labor market continues to be strong.
- Florida leads the nation in job creation, accounting for 1 in every 15 jobs in the U.S.
- The Florida labor market accounts for more than 10 million nonagricultural jobs statewide.
- Unemployment remains below the national average.
- Housing Market Outlook:
- Single-family home sales have increased for six consecutive months.
- February sales are up 3.9% year-over-year.
- Inflation and Interest Rates Outlook:
- Inflation has moderated to 2.4%.
- Interest rates remain stable.
- Rate cuts in late 2025 aimed to support continued economic activity.
Additional metrics and more are found on TheFloridaScorecard.org. |
|
| Upcoming Events and Announcements |
|
If your company has an update to feature in the Small Business Insider, please share with Jahvin Gordon, Director of Business Climate & Governance Policy, at jgordon@flchamber.com. |
|
|
|
|
